While the Samsung Galaxy Note II continues to spearhead the “Phablet” market space, there is still space in the market which is rapidly getting populated with a number of cheaper alternatives with similarly large screens, solid specifications, and most importantly, much lower prices. The credit for this goes to the usual suspects - the budget smart phone manufacturers. It is pertinent to have a look at some of the offerings from these manufacturers, phones that are giving the Note II a serious run for its money.

The Micromax A110

The Micromax A110 Superfone Canvas 2 is the successor to the A100, and possesses a 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 480x854 pixels (~196 ppi). It boasts of a 1 GHz dual-core processor, Android Ice Cream Sandwich (v4.0.4) OS and, as an advantage over the Galaxy Note II, Dual SIM (and Dual Standby) capability. As for connectivity, the A110 features 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v3.0 andMicro USB 2.0: features that match up adequately with the Note II. Also standing up tall is the A110’srear camera, an 8MP with Autofocus and LED Flash, supported by a 0.3MP VGA front camera. Standard smart phone features like audio and video players supporting all major formats are, as a matter ofcourse, present. Scheduled to be available in India by late October, 2012, the Micromax A110 price in India is expected to be around INR 11,000.

The WickedLeak Wammy Note

The Wammy Note has a 5-inch super HD capacitive touch screen, with 260K colors and a resolution of 480x800 pixels. Its most attractive feature is the 8MP rear camera with a Burst Feature that allows it totake 16 shots in 2 seconds, apart from Autofocus and Flashlight. In addition, the Wammy has a 1.3MP pixel front camera which, although slightly inferior to the Note II’s 1.9MP counterpart, is more than adequate for high-quality video calling. On the hardware and memory side, the Wammy has a 1 GHz processor, 4 GB ROM and 512 MB of RAM. It also supports T-Flash extension up to 32 GB. Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth v2.0 are expectedly present, as are audio and video players supporting numerous formats. And, like the Micromax A110, unlike the Note II, the Wammy is a Dual SIM (GSM+GSM) smart phone. It is available in the Indian market for a best price of around INR 11,000.

The iBall Andi 5C

The iBall Andi 5c, a Dual SIM smart phone, has a 5-inch WVGA IPS capacitive touch screen display, with a resolution of 480x800 pixels. It is powered by a 1 GHz Cortex A9 processor, and has 4 GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 32 GB using an external microSD card. The rear camera is rated at 5MP and is equipped with Autofocus and LED Flash. There is a VGA front camera for video calling and self-portraits. The Andi 5c has multi-format audio and video players, and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. It features various connectivity options, including 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Micro USB, and runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich v4.0.3. This phone can be purchased for as low as INR 12,559.

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Spice Mi-500 Stellar Horizon

Like all the phones above, the Spice Mi-500 Stellar Horizon sports a 5-inch display, built on TFT technology and featuring a resolution of 480x800 pixels (~187 ppi pixel density). The Mi-500 has a 5MP, pixel primary camera with Autofocus and Dual-LED Flash, and a VGA secondary. Inside is a dual-core 1GHz processor, running Android Ice Cream Sandwich. 4 GB of internal storage (microSD expandable upto 32 GB) AND 512 MB of RAM are provided. The Mi-500 is a Dual-SIM phone that supports mini SIMcards. 3G speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps (HSDPA) are featured, and so is Wi-Fi capability with an option tocreate a Wi-Fi hotspot. Bluetooth and A-GPS are also parts of the package, the power source of whichis a reliable 2400 mAh Li-ion battery. The Spice Mi-500 Stellar Horizon is available at a best price of INR12499.

It takes no rocket science to gauge what makes these phones tick. It is their highly strategic pricing, in the INR 10,000-13000 range that is proving very attractive to the middle-class Indian customer looking for a smart phone with an extra-large display. Granted that the Note II’s 5.5 inch super AMOLED screen still has no match in terms of size and quality, nor does it quad-core processor, but it can only be bought for a whopping INR 37,000. With more than acceptable features and eminently palatable prices, the phones listed above are sure to give the Note II a tough competition.

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